{"id":1990,"date":"2022-09-13T06:06:38","date_gmt":"2022-09-13T06:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itp.nyu.edu\/lowres\/critex-monika\/?p=1990"},"modified":"2022-09-13T06:06:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T06:06:38","slug":"topic-1-development-borders-canals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itp.nyu.edu\/lowres\/critex-monika\/2022\/09\/13\/topic-1-development-borders-canals\/","title":{"rendered":"Topic 1 Development: Borders | Canals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Definition of a Canal:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A canal is a human-made waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another. Canals are also used to transport water for irrigation and other human uses. While the advent of more efficient forms of transportation has reduced the need for canals, they still play a vital role as conduits for transportation and fostering global commerce. <\/span><\/i>\u00a0– NOAA<\/span><\/p>\n

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What characteristics make a Canal a Canal?:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first notable points I found from my initial research was the distinction between Canals and Channels. The biggest point is man-made (Canals) vs. natural(Channels).<\/p>\n

This led me to research the use<\/em> of Canals. As a man-made entity, there is a use or a need that these waterways are built to fulfill. \"\"<\/p>\n

According to further research Wikipedia lists, that “Canals<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0artificial waterways<\/b>\u00a0are\u00a0waterways<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0engineered<\/a>\u00a0channels<\/a>\u00a0built for\u00a0drainage<\/a>\u00a0management (e.g.\u00a0flood control<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0irrigation<\/a>) or for conveyancing\u00a0water transport<\/a>\u00a0vehicles<\/a>\u00a0(e.g.\u00a0water taxi<\/a>). They carry free, calm surface flow under\u00a0atmospheric pressure<\/a>, and can be thought of as artificial\u00a0rivers<\/a>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The main uses of a canal are drainage for safety, landscape protection, and transportation of people and goods. How do these topics connect to Borders?<\/p>\n

Borders & Connectors:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo from my trip in 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reading more on the topic, I was reminded of my trip to Colorado and stopping at the Continental Divide on my drive between Denver and Aspen. The Continental Divide runs from the Bering Strait down the Americas to the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile. This Divide separates the watersheds that drain into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

This creates boundaries in multiple countries and territories, including National Parks like Glacier National Park and, most notably, the Panama Canal.<\/p>\n

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The Panama Canal – Trade:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Map\/Drawing from Britanica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finished in 1914, the most notable canal in the Americas is the Panama Canal. It connects North and South America, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and is the lowest point of the Continental Divide.<\/p>\n

Most notably used for international trade, cargo ships can pass in either direction, with the most Trade between the east coast of the United States and East Asia dominating international canal traffic. (Britanica<\/em>)<\/p>\n

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Amsterdam Canals – Defense & Protection:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other area of research surrounds the idea of protection and safety.<\/p>\n

\"\"The city was founded around 1250 with the building of the Dam that gave it its name. \u2018Aeme Stelle Redamme\u2019 is Medieval Dutch for: \u2018Dam in a Watery Area.\u2019 The first canals were dug for water management and defense. As the city expanded in the Middle Ages, successive defense moats ended up inside the walls and lost their function. But they acquired an important new one: local transport of merchandise. (https:\/\/www.amsterdam.info\/canals\/)<\/em><\/p>\n

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Further Exploration of Canals, Usage, Relation to Borders:<\/strong><\/p>\n